GREAT WIDE OPEN
34 Bham Family April 2020
HEALTHY LIVING
Into the
BY JEANA DURST
One thing I think we parents can all agree on is
that we would like to see our families unplug and
spend more quality time together. Fourteen years
ago, Verna Gates had the vision to anticipate this
Fresh Air Family. We had the chance to catch up
that while her organization certainly serves
families in this way, it is much more than that.
It started with a painful realization. “I was
working for Reuters and did an investigative
and help our children,’ ” Gates says. Even though
confessed “science geek” too. “I thought science
way to think,” Gates says.
She had the idea that Fresh Air Family
could teach children to make good decisions
them. In 2018, the organization served 7,500
children (not counting the ones who participate
in weekend hikes) and employs two part-time
staffers and a host of freelance educators,
instruction, and former program participants who
are camp counselors. “I’ve had children who have
out,” Gates says. They host 400 weekend events
annually, summer Gross Out Camps, and a varied
menu of educational outings—all cell phone